


The Dragon's Snare

by SixthSeason



Category: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Genre: Angst, Friendship, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Multi, Past Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-01
Updated: 2015-08-22
Packaged: 2017-12-28 03:49:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/987323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SixthSeason/pseuds/SixthSeason
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Azure had no coin, no honor, no reputation to her name. She was an escaped thief just wanting to feel like she had a purpose again when she returned to the world. However, one small request of the late Emperor began to evolve into an unavoidably larger purpose.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Act I: Purpose

My mother always used to tell me that everyone had a major role in life to play. My father would always tell me the same, that no matter how small one thought of oneself, they may take on a role that would impact or change another person’s life. Seems to me that life had cast the wrong person to the wrong role. How did I, a convicted thief, who had spent the past 3 years of my life end up being entrusted with the task of bringing the recently-assassinated Emperor’s amulet to a complete stranger in the city of Chorrol? Hell, why did I even take the amulet when the Emperor handed to me? Why did the Emperor trust me? Why did he claim to see me in his dreams? Why me?

I pulled the amulet, dubbed the “Amulet of Kings” by the Emperor and his bodyguards out of my pocket and stared down at it. I had the right mind to be rid of it, to just toss it into Lake Rumare and allow it to be swallowed up by a slaughterfish, lest I suffer the fate of the Emperor over this strange piece of jewelry. But _damn_ me for a fool for being born with a stubborn sense of trustworthiness. I jammed the Amulet in my pocket and continued on my way to this- Jauffre, was it?- that the Emperor had mentioned only moments before he was cut down right in front of me. I couldn’t help but shudder violently. That wasn't the first time I had witnessed such a scene, and I had hoped I would never have to relive it again. I have enough in my nightmares keeping me up at night, thank you.

Well, when it came down to it, what else did I even have left to turn to now that I’m out of prison? The Thieves Guild abandoned me for mucking up their greatest heist of all time; I can’t fire a spell worth a shit, so the Mages Guild is out; Fighters Guild? Probably not. They’d ridicule me for strictly using a bow. Besides, I had a criminal record. I doubt they’d welcome me with open arms. Now that I thought about it, I was truly alone out here.

I ran my hands through my hair and sighed. I began to have-- I don’t know what to call it-- just the desire of being needed - _wanted_ again by someone... anyone. I just wanted to have a purpose again. My hand involuntarily slipped into my pocket to touch the Amulet. I pulled it out once more to look at it again.

_Take the Amulet. Give it to Jauffre. He alone knows where to find my last son. Find him. And close shut the Jaws of Oblivion._

I squeezed the red jewel tightly in my fist and shoved it into my pocket once more. I do suppose, if even for a short while, I could have a purpose, albeit an insignificant one. As of now, I could fulfill the Emperor’s last request and give him some peace.

I mean, after all, it’s _just_ delivering an Amulet. How difficult could _that_ possibly be?


	2. Act II: Retrieval

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azure had no coin, no honor, no reputation to her name. She was an escaped thief just wanting to feel like she had a purpose again when she returned to the world. However, one small request of the late Emperor began to evolve into an unavoidably larger purpose.

Disappointing. That’s what this place was.

When the Emperor told me to find this “Jauffre”, I figured that would reside in a place a bit more...regal. I mean, the Emperor asked for the man by name. Surely, if you were on a first name basis with the Emperor, you should be residing in a nobleman’s house, a castle, or something! Why would you pick...this? A tiny little priory with a shoddy-looking chapel on the side. My heart sank a little in my chest. So much for expecting to sleep in a down-filled bed tonight after 3 years sleeping on sack cloth in a dank prison. Then again, with the current state I was in; covered in cobwebs, healing cuts over my legs, sunken-in stomach, and sticks in my hair, I doubt I’d be able to even get within a mile of a down-filled bed. 

I ran a hand through my tangled, black locks as I walked towards the doors of the Priory ready to---A hand clasped down on my shoulder just as my fingers curled around the handle to the doors, and I screamed. Rather loudly, at that. I could hear some horses neighing in the distance when I did so. When spun around, I was met face-to-face with an older Dunmer.

“I told you not to pester the monks, you insufferable s’wit!” He shouted at me, brandishing a club in his hand. “How many times must I tell you--” The mer’s eyes widened as he looked me over, and his grip loosened. Somewhat. “You’re not one of _them_ , are you?”

“I can’t say I know what you’re talking about…” My voice was strained from the squeezing of my arm. “‘One of _who,_ now?”

“Those pestering peddlers with the red robes! Been demanding to see the monks! Ever since this morning they’ve been begging me to let them in, but the Monks are _not_ to be disturbed! And as for you, I suggest you be on your way, girl. Whatever you’re selling, they aren’t interested.” He let go of my arm and turned away. “Begone!”

“Hold on a second, who said I was a peddler?” I demanded, feeling quite annoyed at his quick assumption. “I’m here to see Jauffre, it’s important information regarding--”

“I said begone! You have ash yams lodged in your ears?!”

“You have some lodged in _yours?_ I said I have important information for Jauffre!”

The Dunmer brandished his club once more. “You have to the count of four to clear on out of here, or Azura as my witness--”

To hell with it all. The door was right there. I spun on my heel and grabbed the handle on the doors and flung them open, darting inside. I could hear the Dunmer mutter “fetcher!” as he chased me inside. We were met with wide eyes and agape mouths as I leapt up the stairs with the mer in tow, swinging his club at my legs as I ran around the priory at top speed to get away from him. However, the floor didn’t go all the way around as I’d hoped, which left me standing on a bed with a rather angry Dunmer closing in on me.

“What is the meaning of this? Have you lost your mind, Eronor?!” An older man pushed past the small audience of monks who had gathered behind Eronor to watch the spectacle. “Tearing through the priory like this---Who is this woman?!”

“Forgive me, Brother Jauffre, this woman is merely one of those pesky peddlers who---”

“I’ve come to see you!” I pointed at the man called Brother Jauffre. “I swear on my life, I’m not a peddler---”

“She lies! I am terribly sorry I allowed her in here, Brother. I’ll escort her out at-”

I jumped up off the bed, and stormed over to Eronor. Grabbing the Amulet out of my pocket, I held it by the string in front of his face and pointed at it. “Does this look like something I’d peddle?! Look at it, does it? Let me tell you something, elf; you call me a peddler one more time and I’ll bend you over my knee and shove this amulet right up your--”

My words were cut short as the man named Jauffre walked over to me and practically snatched the Amulet out of my hands. His wrinkled brow was creased in a deep frown as he looked over it, his thumb tracing the red jewel in the center reverently. It looked like he was going to speak, but his mouth would shut as soon as it opened as he looked over the Amulet. “This--cannot be.” His voice was a strangled whisper when he finally did speak. Jauffre grasped the Amulet in his hand and looked at the two of us. “It’s alright, Eronor. She’s supposed to be here.”

I shot the elf the most smug grin I could muster, and his face flushed purple in anger and embarrassment. “If you need me,” He spat through gritted teeth. “I’ll be tending to my duties.” With that, he left; but not before giving me a less-than-discreet stomp on the foot. I had begun to chase after him, only to have Jauffre grasp my arm firmly before I passed him.

“Don’t you think you’ve caused enough ruckus?” He admonished, the deep crease in his brow still prevalent. He sounded so tired. And he looked it, too. From this distance, I could see the dark rings under his eyes. Lack of sleep? Stress? Both? I wasn’t going to up and ask. It wasn’t my place to.

“The Emperor sent me.” I blurted. “Things like this couldn’t be delayed, and that bastard of an Elf got in my way! With something as important as this, can you blame me for--” Jauffre held up his hand to silence me and pinched the bridge of his nose. When he sighed, I could catch a faint whiff of alcohol on his breath. A hangover. And here I was yelling like a madwoman. I lowered my voice to a murmur. “The Emperor was killed this morning, and I happened to be there at the time of his death. He sent me to find you.”

“Yes, I figured as much. For who else could obtain the Amulet besides the Emperor giving it to them by hand?” He gripped the Amulet in his hand and turned away, beckoning me to follow. “ Leave us. And return to your duties.” He dismissed the monks who still lingered around. He led me into an open library and he pointed to a chair in front of a desk, and I sat down. He seated himself on the opposing side, placing the Amulet on the table and resting his chin on folded hands as he stared down at it. Again, he fell silent, and the crease in his brow returned. If he wasn’t careful, his brow would get stuck that way.

“I was complacent enough to believe that I would never see a day like this.” I jumped at the sudden sound of his voice. “The Emperor slain, the Heirs slain, the Dragonfires dark, and the Dragon Throne empty.” His eyes wandered up to my own, and deep within them, I could see experience and wisdom written in his features. From what I could tell, he had seen a lot. But this took the sweetcake. “We’ve fallen on dark, dark times. Not just the Empire, but all of Tamriel.”

I nodded in agreement. “With no Emperor to rule, Tamriel will fall into chaos.”

“It’s not just about the politics. It’s...more.” Again, his eyes wandered down to the Amulet.

“What do you mean ‘more’?” Better intercept before he goes into another trance.

“Tell me…” He held his hand out towards me.

“Azure.”

“Tell me, Azure. What were the Emperor’s last words?”

My brow knit in an attempt to recall the Emperor’s last words. A shudder wracked my frame as I could see the image of him being slaughtered right in front of me once more. No, before that….before that… “He said...To take the Amulet and give it to you….Close shut the jaws of Oblivion and...Something about a son?” He nodded as I listed off the words, as if each one was automatically understood. 

“Mehrunes Dagon.” He murmured darkly, his eyes clouding over.

“Meh-who?” 

“Mehrune’s Dagon. The Daedric Prince of Destruction himself.”

“But how could the Emperor know of this? Don’t daedra exist in an entirely different realm than ours? At least---that’s what I heard.”

“The Emperor was a Septim, Azure. The Septims have been long since gifted with prophetic dreams and visions. Their blood grants them the ability to see more than lesser men. That is how the Emperor managed to forsee these events. The threat of Oblivion to Nirn and quite possibly, his own death.”

“If he could forsee his own death, then why didn’t he stop it? None of this would be happening if he had told someone!”

I could tell by the way his brow knit that he didn’t appreciate me talking of the Late Emperor in such a manner. “Uriel wasn’t a man to deny his destiny, Azure.”

Oh Gods, the urge to scoff and roll my eyes was strong. Destiny? The Emperor of Tamriel would allow himself to get killed over such a silly thing as destiny? But out of respect for the Emperor’s memory, I kept my mouth shut.

“The Emperors of the Dragonblood are bestowed the task of lighting the Dragonfires in the Imperial City. The Dragonfires are the key to keeping the barriers of Nirn and Oblivion from crossing over. But with them dark, the barriers are weak, giving Mehrunes Dagon the opportunity to cross that barrier into Nirn. Only one with the Dragonblood and the Amulet of Kings can rekindle these Dragonfires and in turn, restore these barriers.”

“But the Emperor and his three heirs were slain…” I interject. 

“‘Find my last son’.” A spark of hope ignited in the old man’s eyes, and the corners of his eyes lifted in a small smile that didn’t reach his lips. “He said this, did he not?” My brow quirked questioningly at him, and he chuckled softly. “There is another heir of the Dragonblood out there. However, I am the only one who knows of his true lineage.”

“Then why does he delay? He should be making his way to the Imperial City at once! Has he not heard the news?” Sounds like a rather irresponsible heir to tarry during such a time.

“I said _I_ only know of his true lineage.” Jauffre looked at me as if he was waiting for me to piece together the meaning of his words. The solution came, alright, and it hit me like a sack of potatoes in the head. The heir was unknowing of his own lineage.

“He’s a bastard?”

The word almost seemed to make him wince, but he nodded. “It would seem that the Gods” _Oh please, spare me._ “Have a much larger role for Martin to play than we had anticipated.” Jauffre looked at me long and hard. “Azure, your efforts are greatly appreciated. Thank you for bringing the Amulet here after all that had happened to you. But I must ask that you go to Kvatch and retrieve the heir. He’s a priest in the Chapel of Akatosh, and he goes by Martin.”

So much for just delivering the Amulet. I remained silent for a few moments, staring back at him.

“Please, Azure. The fate of Nirn rests within Martin. Time is of the essence. With each day, Mehrunes Dagon will grow stronger. This must be a shock to you, having been thrown into all this despite your background--”

“My _what?_ ” I snapped, my voice venomous.

“To have the fate of the Empire entrusted to a prisoner--”

I slammed my hands down on the table and leaned forward. “Being a prisoner has nothing to do with what I’m doing!”

“Then _what_ are you doing it for?”

“I honestly don’t know!” I spat, leaning up and folding my arms over my chest. Jauffre mirrored me, leaning back in his chair with his brow quirked. “You say it as if you don’t think I can do it!”

“With the way you hesitated just now--”

“Fine! You want your heir? I’ll go get him! Teach you to underestimate _me!_ ” With a huff, I cinched the rusty bow on my back a little higher and stormed out the priory. Stuffy old monk thinks I can’t go to Kvatch to retrieve an heir. Pah! I’ll make him eat those words of his! Teach him a lesson! He’s going to be thanking me endlessly when I return with the heir in tow! A wave of pride washed over my heart at the mental image of Jauffre thanking me and apologizing for underestimating me. There’s no way I didn’t have this! How hard can retrieving a person be?  
“Eronor!” I called out as I neared the stables. “I need one of your horses!”

“These horses aren’t for sale, n’wah. These belong to the brothers. Even if they were, I wouldn’t sell any to you!”

I had opened my mouth to protest, when Jauffre’s voice came from behind. “Let her have Prior Maborel’s, Eronor. He’s already given permission for her to have him. Nine knows she’ll need it.”

Eronor stifled a chuckle and I shot a dirty glare at him. “Keep laughing, you lot. You’ll be sorry when I come back with the heir! I’ll show you both!” I slung one leg over the saddle, and the horse took off, leaving me clinging to the beast for dear life, and the rapturous laughter of Jauffre and Eronor quickly fading into the distance. Pulling on the reins, I got the horse to stop and finally situated myself in the saddle. The damn beast must have been sabotaged or something.

“Now look here. I don’t want any funny business. I have a task to do, and you’re not going to hinder it, understood?” The horse blows gas out its back-end in response, and I grimace. With a kick of its sides, I’m well on my way to Kvatch with my head high, my heart light, my mind sure, and my stomach empty.

Stomach Empty?

That reminds me; I haven't eaten since the night before last.

Maybe I should’ve eaten something at the Priory….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Well, as you can tell, the poor dear is just simply bull-headed and reckless. That's going to be a real hassle to a certain someone in the future, I can tell >:3c Sorry for the delay in chapters, and I hope you're still out there, you lovely people you. ;A; Thanks for reading, and I hope you keep reading!_


	3. Act III: Impossible

I really *really* should have eaten something at the Priory. A few hours into my ride, I began to feel the stabbing pain of hunger in my gut. Since I left the Priory, the only sound that could be heard was the clopping of hooves and the inhuman growls that my stomach was producing. I bent over in my saddle, clutching my sides and moaning. This was a bad idea. A really bad idea. Couldn’t Jauffre have at least give me some coin for supplies? Wait, no. That would be exactly what he wants; for me to crawl back and ask him for help. Like hell I’d let that happen! There’s no way I don’t have this! I don’t need anyone’s help! I can---

“W-Where do you think you’re going?!”

I jumped as an Altmer man darted from behind the bushes and stopped in front of the horse, bending over to catch his breath. “K--Kvatch is….that….way!”

“I know. That’s where I’m headed.” I jerked my head to the side. “So if you’d kindly get out of the road…”

“You don’t understand; I’m trying to _**save**_ you!”

“Save me from _what?_ ”

With a trembling hand, the mer pointed up the road. “Kvatch...ruined in a single night. The whole city...destroyed by...destroyed by the Daedra! A gate to Oblivion itself opened and let the Daedra out into the city! Hundreds...dead already! Very few survivors….”

The stabbing ache of hunger in my stomach was replaced by the feeling of my heart dropping into my stomach. Hundreds...dead? It couldn’t be-- _This_ is what Jauffre was talking about? The barriers between Nirn and Oblivion weakening? If they got any weaker; _then_ what would happen? If this Oblivion Gate opening could cause so many deaths and the destruction of an entire city as the Altmer claims, I don’t want to know the outcome---Wait.

The heir.

Martin.

 _He_ can stop all this. His blood--The Septim Blood! Jauffre said so himself; once the Dragonfires are lit, then the barriers with strengthen, keeping our worlds separate! “You came from Kvatch, right?” I demanded.

“Weren’t you listening to a word I just said?!”

“Do you know of a priest named Martin?”

“The priest? He’s more than likely dead! Just like the rest of the city! I’m not sticking around to die, you understand me?! I want to live! I want to live!” And he’s taken off down the road again at high speed, wailing and flailing like a mad man.

My heart constricted in my chest painfully. No, no. Martin couldn’t be dead. What would that Altmer know? He was just frightened, right? He didn’t see every single person that was slain.

_Right?_

I kick the horses sides and he takes off up the road. I can easily see where the Altmer’s paranoia came from. The sky paints itself a deep red, and thunder rumbles and lightning flashes almost every other second. The stench of burning bodies blankets the road, forcing me to bend over and gag a few times. Oh Gods. It was a whole lot worse than I had thought. A small encampment is at the end of the road, ragged tents pitched here and there, and civilians wandering aimlessly about. They’re tired and shaken pretty badly. I can see it in their faces and I can almost feel it in the air. They’ve seen hell. They were scared. They had given up.

What have I gotten myself into?

Shaking my head, I nudge the horse’s sides, and he takes off at a gentle trot. I ask a few citizens about what had happened here, and if they knew anything about Martin. All they could tell me was to speak to a Savlian Matius next to the gates of Kvatch up on the hill. The whole time, I’m trying to keep the lump in my throat down at the possibility that the heir may be dead. If that was the case, then I failed not only Jauffre and the heir, but all of Tamriel. All because I couldn’t get here in time! If the heir was dead, whatever happens will be all on me!

Without warning, the horse neighed in alarm and reared back, causing me to pull the reigns taut and cling to him for dear life. A man had jumped in front of us seemingly out of nowhere. “What are you doing up here, citizen?!” He barked sharply. “Get back down to the encampment at once!”

I had opened my mouth to protest when a ball of flame exploded dangerously close to the man’s leg. My horse reared again, and this time, I did fall off, landing hard on my bottom. Rough hands grabbed me and pulled me out of the way, another ball of flame missing me by a hair’s width. The horse jumped and took off back down the hill. I started to follow to try to get him to come back, but the man dragged me behind a rock and forced me to sit down. “Merandil! Rilian! Cover me!” He barked at two other soldiers in the same uniform as him. Kneeling down next to me, he looked me over. “Are you injured, citizen?”

“No, I’m fine…”

“Then get back to the encampment now. This is no place for you. I cannot give you an escort, as I need all my men on the front line.”

‘All his men?’ I look over, only to find an Altmer and an Imperial firing their arrows over the wooden barricade. “Where are the rest?”

“Where do you think, fool?” He snapped sharply. “Dead! Every single one of them, dead! Cut down by daedra in the middle of the Gods-damned streets, or probably dead in that Gate! I am not having any more lives lost, so you go back to the encampment **now!!!** ” His voice had risen to a shout. The man had just began to stand up, but I grabbed one of his armored hands before he could pull away.

“You don’t understand, I’ve got to get inside the city!” I tried to explain to him. “There’s someone in there that I need to see! Well, need to see if he’s still _alive.”_

“Then I suggest you go to the encampment and wait until we can pull those people out of the chapel---Jesan! Watch your back, soldier!---now I’m not going to say it again! Get back down the hill this instant!”

This was going nowhere fast. And I doubted that he’d believe me if I told him the fate of the Empire---the whole _world_ was still holed up in Kvatch. “Let me help.” I blurted. “At least let me help! I won’t exactly be one of your soldiers, but at least you’ve got an extra pair of hands on the line!”

The man looked back at me, all the light gone out of his eyes. Tired, hopeless, just...done. With a tired sigh, he shook his head. “Civilian, please. I appreciate your offer, but there has been too many lives lost under my watch. I’m not about to lose another.” He placed his hand on my shoulder and gently pushed me back. “If you don’t head back down to the encampment, you will be removed by force. This is your final warning. I’m sorry.”

“Captain!” The Altmer called from behind the barricade. “Another wave is spilling out of the Gate!”

“Hold the line!” The Captain barked, rushing to join them with his sword drawn. “Don’t let them near the barricade!”

I can only look on as the men engage the strange creatures from that strange looking...thing they called a Gate. Balling my fists, I looked down at the ground and bit my lip hard. I wasn’t going to walk back to the Priory empty-handed. Who’s to say that these men wouldn’t even make it past this barricade? With only three of them? And all these creatures pouring out of that Gate in those numbers? The people inside the city would be doomed. The heir would be doomed. And Nirn would be lost.

Like hell I’d want that to happen. I want to _live!_

Taking a deep breath, I grab the rusty bow from off my back and dash high speed toward the barricade, placing a hand over one of the posts and tossing myself over it and landing (a bit sloppily) on my feet.

“Citizen!” I heard the Captain shouting protests and curses alike as I dodged and dashed through the creatures that had just begun to leak out of the Gate. "I'll be back!" I called out to him. "I'm going to get rid of this Gate for you!" I was going to help. I was going to get inside that city, bring back the heir and save Nirn---

“Agh!!!”

Upon throwing myself into the Gate, I was met with a searing blast of heat and a horrid smell so strong that I fell to my hands and knees and started to retch violently, despite having an empty stomach. Thunder rumbled through the hellish red sky. Corpses hung grotesquely from pillars. Severed heads were placed on pikes. And the smell. Gods. The smell. It reeked of burning flesh. And I could easily be one of those corpses, severed heads, or source of burning flesh. Bringing my hands to my face, I stopped my ears and clamped my eyes shut tight. Even then, the low rumble of thunder leaked through; the images of the corpses were still in my mind, and the smell still assaulted my nose. I whimpered pathetically as I began to shake, tears spilling out of my eyes.

No.

It’s impossible.

I can’t do this.

I can't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! An eternity and 3/4 later, chapter 3 is up?! Gracious! I apologize for the delay! I know in-game, Savlian accepts your help with a little hesitation, but in the end accepts it. For my interpretation, having all those lives lost on your watch must take a real toll on you, which explains why he's acting the way he is in this story.   
> Last time I wrote this story, I had Azure blaze through the Gate without a hitch. Looking back on it, that was a bit unrealistic. This is something entirely new and horrifying for her. How could she just stroll through there like it was another place on Nirn?
> 
> Hopefully Azure will pull herself together and get through that Gate somehow...


	4. Act IV:Clinging

I had to get out of there. Get back to the Gate, go tell the Captain what I saw and get out of Kvatch. Head back to the Priory and tell Jauffre what I saw. He’d understand, right? He’d send someone else...He had to. Because I **can’t** do this. I can’t go through with this. It’s impossible. I don’t want to die. Not yet. Not here. Gods damn it, if only my legs would _move!_ I wanted to scream at them to get moving, but my voice was only a whimper at this stage. I **needed** to get out.

When hands fastened around my shoulders to yank me to my feet, I _did_ scream. A lot louder than I should have. I thrashed, kicked, and clawed against the grip and I reached back to swing blindly at my captor. At this point, I was a sobbing mess, and my swings were weaker than I’d have liked. My captor seemed unfazed, instead shaking me firmly.

“Calm down!” A man’s voice ordered. “Stop! I’m not here to hurt you! It’s all right!”

I froze and looked over my shoulder to find myself looking up into a familiar face. Well, when I say ‘familiar’ I mean ‘familiar’ in general. Not knowing him personally, but it was good to see something that I could recognize and that wasn’t part of this hellish wasteland. At the sight of a human face, I burst into tears, grabbing at the stranger’s cuirass desperately. “Out.” I shuddered, looking up at him. “Please. Want out!” I sounded like an infant sobbing for it’s mother after having a nightmare, but I'd be a liar had I said that wasn’t how I was feeling at the moment.

A roll of thunder overhead made me yelp and grab onto the man tighter. “Out!” I demanded again. “Out!” “Keep your voice down!!” He ordered harshly, peeling my fingers from his cuirass. “I want out as much as you do, citizen, but you’re going to have to stop making so much racket!” He spared a glance over his shoulder, blue eyes widening in panic for a moment. Grabbing my wrist, he led me over to a stone pillar and beckoned me to crouch down behind it. Cursing under his breath, he crouched down as well, peeking around the corner.

“What? _What?!_ ” I hissed at him, only to receive an upheld hand in a response. For the next several moments, he’d peek around the corner and pull back. I wanted to scream and bolt for the gate. Any longer here, and I might as well jump in the pool of molten rock below. Save a world of trouble for whatever lay up ahead. I let loose a whimper as my wrist irons began to burn my wrists, heated by the sweltering heat of this wasteland. Impatiently, I peeked around the corner and wanted to cry. There was a mob of strange….creatures. Some man-sized beings that stood on two legs and had feet that resembled a human’s when a human stood on the front of his feet. What was he waiting for!? Could he not go in and wipe them out? They hardly looked like a challenge beside this man!

“Scamps.” The man muttered under his breath. Looking back at me, he tugged two fingers forward, urging me to follow along behind him. I spared a glance back at the creature----Scamps before following behind the man, nails bedded in his cuirass. As we drew further and further away from the gate, my grip grew tighter and my steps began to come to a halt, to the point where I remained crouched behind my ‘savior’ and refusing to take another step. Much like a child clinging to his mother when he grows tired of walking.

“The gate’s back _that_ way! Where in the hell are you going?! Turn back!!” I gasped in a shuddering breath, looking over my shoulder and nearly flying into a panic to discover the gate no longer in sight. Almost as if he could sense my mounting distress, he turned towards me to grasp me firmly by the upper arms, gaze intense and his own voice shaking.

“Listen to me. I want to escape this place as much as you do. If I had the ability, I’d cut down those bastards in front of that Gate and run as fast as my legs would carry me out of here.” His eyes seemed dull, almost borderline lifeless, and the dark circles under his eyes was doing nothing to weaken that look. “Gods damn me if I were to say otherwise. But if this Gate is left open, hundreds of thousands could die to the hand of whatever lurks within here. I cannot---I refuse to let that happen.”

Yes, yes. That was all fine and dandy. Good for him to want to be a noble cause and all that storybook fodder. But Nine damn me to Oblivion [I say that ironically] if **I** thought the same way as him. Either his battle-hardened mind made him a lot less vulnerable to this hellish wasteland’s effect, or he really did have stones on him. Me? I was scared silly. All I wanted to do was save my own skin. To be able to get out of here alive. For now, this man seemed like my best ticket. If I could get out intact; Wonderful. If I could assist in helping the guard trying to get into the city; Bonus.

“---With me?”

I snapped out of my trance to look the soldier in the eyes. Had he been talking? “Yes?” I blinked a few times. A relieved smile graced his face and he pulled me to my still-shaking feet.

“Divines bless you.” He breathed, firmly patting me on the back. _What had he said?! What did I just agree to?!_ “Stay close, civilian. I’ll watch your back and you watch mine.” Jerking a hand at me, he started off in the direction we were headed, urging me to follow quickly. “Do not tarry!” He snapped firmly.

_I don’t need to be told twice._ I thought bitterly as I trudged behind him. Possibly to my Doom. I prayed and bargained to whatever Gods that were to escape with my life.

I could have sworn I heard laughter.

And that hardly brought comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodness, this took far too long, and I apologize! The quality is a bit sub-par, and the chapter is a bit short, but I hope to have things pick up in the next chapter or two! Real life events reared their ugly head and I'm slowly coming back from it. So hopefully I will not be as sluggish with chapters from now on! Bless you lovely readers who have stuck around for so long! :D


	5. Act V: Blackout

_“--rly there. Just a little while longer. You’re doing fine. Can you hear me? You’ve made it this far. It’ll be alright. Just stay with me, do you understand? No, no! Don’t pass out on me now! Not when we’re so close! Come on. Come on! It’s just up this tower. We’ll remove the stone and be back in Kvatch. Pull yourself together. We’re almost ---”_

_“---your back and stay close---”_

_“---See? There’s the chamber. We’re where we need to be. We’re---”_

_“--Defend yourse---”_

_“---ON YOUR FEET, MORE COMING OUR---”_

_“Citizen?! Are you alright?! Can you hear me!?.....Gods preserve me. We’ve got to get you to a healer. Hang in---”_

_“CITIZEN!!!!” ------_

Bolting upright from where I lay, I tried to scream as I awoke from the nightmare. However, the desire to do so was overpowered by my urge to vomit. Clutching my stomach, I turned my head off to the side, spotted a bucket nearby, and emptied my stomach of whatever was left in it. I coughed and spluttered, staring down at the bucket in my hands.

Bucket? How did I manage to get one of these?

I pressed a fist to my eye and rubbed vigorously in the dim lighting of the area. No longer did I smell brimstone, rotting flesh, or excessive amounts blood. It smelled...old? Kind of dank and mildewy. With a hint of old books. And was that incense I’m smelling? What of the gate? And the soldier I was with? Where was I?

“How are you feeling?” A voice asked softly. I barely could make out the silhouette of a man kneeling next to where I lay.

“Captain Savius---” I croaked, my throat dry and scratchy. “Where is he?”

“He’s safe. He’s in the chapel’s vestibule with his men. Lay still.” The man placed his hands on my shoulders and gently urged me to lay down.

“What happened? How did I get here? Where am I exactly?” I demanded, a bit too woozy to fight against his hands.

“All I was told is that you charged into the Oblivion Gate just outside the city gates. You emerged with Ilend Vonius, and you were injured severely.” He said as he gathered a jar or two next to him and a few bandages. “After fighting through the town square, you were brought here, to the Chapel of Akatosh. Oleta and I have been tending to your wounds for the last few hours.” The man reaches over and turns my back toward him, lifting up my shirt and applying a salve to the small of my back. I hissed through my teeth at the stinging the salve brought, and he mumbled an apology before applying the bandages to my wound.

“Where did that come from?”

“Where did what come from?”

“The wound on my back.”

His hands paused briefly before continuing in silence a few moments more. “You don’t remember?” He said with a touch of concern.

“I can hardly remember anything. It was too much.” I admit, pressing my hand to my face as if to ease away the lingering images. Even if I did, I wouldn’t _want_ to remember. “I remember entering the Gate, meeting a soldier, and everything went----the soldier!” I bolted upright to my feet far too quickly, and my vision went dark for several moments. When I came to, I felt myself being held in a pair of arms.

 _“Please,”_ The man said firmly, setting me back down on the bedroll. “You’re in no condition to be jostling around so much. Just rest for now, and take one step at a time. You’re safe now.”

“But---”

“I’ve informed the Captain that you’ve come to. But for your own sake, if he asks you to fight, do not do so. You’re in hardly any condition to fight.” With that, the man nodded and wandered over to the other side of the Chapel, kneeling down next to another injured person on a bedroll.

Once I’m left alone, I give myself a brief check-up, flexing my limbs and twisting my body this way and that to make sure everything was still working. Save for the wound in my back, the burn marks where the wrist irons were seared into my skin from the heat of the Gate, my aching stomach (my own fault for not eating for days now), and my swimming head, everything seemed to be in working condition.

Flopping back onto the bedroll, I swiped my hand against my clammy forehead, staring at the high ceiling of the temple. Two tasks I was given. Only two. And I managed to fail those. This heir Jauffre sent me to collect? I hadn’t a damned clue where he was. The Gate that I’d promised to close? What a joke. Chances were that the other soldier dragged me through and closed the Gate himself, and he’d probably been in there longer than I was. Gods’ sakes, my ability to finish a job always seemed to be lacking. And to think if I hadn’t got caught that one night, if I’d been a little more sobered up, I could have been----

“Citizen?”

I lifted my head to find Captain Matius approaching where I lay. “Captain!” I blurted as I sat up carefully, remembering the other man’s warning. “What happened? Where are the rest of your soldiers? Is the gate closed?”

“Slow down, slow down!” He said, lifting a hand. “The Gate is closed and the soldiers---what’s left of them, anyway---are safe. Vonius tells me you aided him through the Oblivion Gate and you two were able to successfully close it.”

_“Aided” is hardly the word I’d use._

“You were unconscious when Vonius brought you out of the Gate, and we could not waste time taking you down to the encampment. Our priority after the Gate was closed was clearing the town square and getting the remaining citizens to safety. Once that was done, we brought you in here and the healers took care of you.”

“Then---that’s it?” I asked, sounding hopeful. “Kvatch is safe? Is it all over?”

“Hardly.” Matius said with an edge in his voice. “The Gate was only the beginning.” With a tired sigh, he sat on one of the pews that had been moved. “As far as we know, the Count is still in Castle Kvatch. We haven’t heard anything since the attacks had begun. With the citizens now able to get down to the encampment safely, we can devote our full attention to liberating the castle.” He pauses for a while, looking me over once or twice. “I know you’ve been through so much already, but we’re going to need all the help we can get. If you could lend us your bow---”

I had opened my mouth to answer when a familiar voice cut me off. It belonged to the man that was healing me earlier. “Captain, I apologize, but this young woman is in no condition to fight. It would be best if she returned to the encampment with us where Oleta and I can continue to treat her.”

Matius looked a bit disappointed, but he nodded in understanding. “Very well, I’ll have Tierra escort you all back down to---”

“I'm just fine. I’m going.” I interrupted, climbing to my feet.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” The man said firmly, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Going out there in your condition could warrant death!”

“I made it through the Oblivion Gate, didn’t I?”

“ _Barely,_ need I remind you.”

“I’ve still got some fight left in me.” I argued, gathering up my bow and quiver. So long as there were no more Oblivion Gates, I think I could scrape by. I may have failed to close the Gate as I’d promised, but I could make up for it by helping, if but in some way. “Captain, I’m ready to go when you are.”

The man frowned at me and shook his head, but did not press. Instead, he took a step back and sighed. “Divines watch over you, my friend.”

“I’d rather watch over myself, thank you.” I murmured. I was going to need more than prayers to get me through this. I was going to need something _useful_ like say, my bow. But now was hardly the time, and he’d meant it in good nature. Following the Captain to the door, we both watched the remaining people in the Chapel file out the doors. Once the last one had left, he turned toward the soldiers and nodded. “This is it, men. By the end of Tonight, Kvatch will be ours once again!” A cry went up from the soldiers, and we all rushed out into the stormy night, weapons drawn and heads held high.

\--------

 _“Son of a **bitch!!!”**_ I bellowed, my eyes snapping open to find myself staring at the ceiling of a rather large tent. I had blacked out! _Again!_ Groaning loudly in frustration, I pressed my palms over my eyes.

I was upset, but not _too_ upset. At least I could remember everything this time. Fighting off the scamps in the city’s streets, having to double back to the Chapel to get the gate key, fighting our way through the courtyard, our finding of the Count’s body…..Last thing I’d remembered was giving the  Count'ssignet ring to the Captain and then it went blank.

“You never learn, do you?”

I yelped and stifled a curse. I hadn’t even paid attention to my surroundings, I was that lost in thought. The man from the Chapel sat on a stool next to the bed I lay on, looking at me critically.

“Not only did you re-open your wound,” He began, readying a spell in his hand, “But you’ve managed to obtain a laceration on your side, a concussion, and a burn right above your previous wound. And---” He cut me off as I opened my mouth. “---You’re malnourished. Of all of the things to fall over out cold by, it’s _hunger_.” I could have sworn the last word was said with a laugh, but I didn’t pay it a second mind.

The man motions for me to lift my shirt up, and I do. He presses the spell to the new laceration on my side and he sighs, looking quite drained.

“I’m fine, you know.” I insist, catching wind of his exhaustion. “There’s got to be other people who’ve worse wounds than I do.”

“ Relatively speaking, yours are the worst. Those with worse wounds….never made it out of the city.”

I couldn’t help but wince. “I’m---sorry.” It was all I had to offer, really. After all, I wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for him, given how I ran out into battle and gave him more work to do.

He nods in acknowledgement, and continues healing for quite a while yet in silence.

“...Where are the other soldiers?” I ask, the silence growing too heavy for my liking.”

“They’re in the Castle, trying to plan out what comes next for Kvatch.”

“And what’s that?”

He sighs. “Whatever it may be, I pray that Kvatch can rebuild and recover soon.”

The spell fizzles out, and he pulls his hands back and rests them in his lap. “But for now, the rest of us must focus on finding new homes, new lives even. Kvatch now has nothing to offer for the people.”

I re-adjust my shirt, and after a few moments of shifting on the bed, I sit on the edge of it, groaning as I stand up. “Thank you. For the healing, I mean.”

He looks up at me, brow lowering ever so slightly. “Must you always jump into things before you are hale? You’ve no pressing battles or affairs to attend to now, I’m certain. The danger has passed. Rest.”

“I’ll rest once I’m certain the person I came here looking for in the first place is safe.” I snapped, folding my arms. “Closing” the gate and liberating Kvatch was obviously not part of the plan, and although in the end it was the right decision, it took away from the time I could have spent finding the heir. “Thank you for your help, but I really must go---” “Who is this person you’re looking for, exactly?”

“Martin Septim.” I say without thinking.

He raises a brow and shakes his head. “I don’t know anyone by that name in Kvatch. As far as I am aware, I’m the only Martin in this city.”

I snap my head a little too quickly towards him, and I began to feel faint-- _again_ \---and he’s up in an instant to steady me on my feet.

Pushing on my shoulders, I’m forced to sit back down on the bed. Grabbing the stool, he moves it across from me so he can look me in the eyes. He’s visibly annoyed at me not listening to him, I can tell.

“You wouldn’t happen to be Martin….Brother Martin? The priest?” I ask once my head stops swimming.

“I can hardly call myself a priest anymore, but yes, I am that Martin.” This was him. Martin. The bastard heir of Uriel Septim. The one with a rightful claim to the Dragon throne. The one to rule over Tamriel. The key person to end this whole Crisis.

But….this tired, weary-looking man was the rightful ruler of Tamriel?

Disappointing.

That’s how he looked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alive, I swear! Please forgive the cheap loopholes I used, but I'm sure you guys have already played the game and didn't want the whole seige of Kvatch read back to you. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and expect more to come! Feedback is always welcome!  
> Goodness, Azure. Must you be so rude?


	6. Act VI: Success

He looked _nothing_ like an  Emperor, much to my disappointment. Convincing the rest of Cyrodiil that he was next in line to the throne was going to be a challenge. How would anyone believe it? This haggard, weary, homely man was hardly---

_Focus, Azure._

I snapped out of my thoughts with a shake of my head and looked over at the man---at Martin. A second glance and closer inspection revealed the slightest resemblance between him and Emperor Uriel. If I were to add a few more years, I’d be certain he’d be able to pass for the Emperor. Perhaps that would be more convincing than how he looks now.

But convincing the public was another task for another day. For now, the main task was convincing this ma---Martin to follow a complete stranger back to Weynon Priory so he can begin the process to claim his Throne. I took a deep breath and blew it out my nose. I wanted to succeed here, at the very least.

“I’ve got news for you.” I said finally.

“News.” He echoed flatly as he raised an eyebrow.

“Not….Well, maybe not news. I mean, it may be news to you, all things considered. I mean, it was to _me_ , but…..maybe ‘news’ wasn’t the word to use. Ah, report? Summons? No….” I inwardly groaned in frustration at myself. I could feel myself on the fast track to failure already if I kept rambling on and on like this. I couldn’t believe I was considering this, but how would Jauffre deal with this situation?

He didn’t dance around the subject. Everything was straightforward. No time was wasted on excess words or thoughts. When he said something, he said it. And that was that.

“Martin, you need to come with me. If you stay here any longer, you’ll be in danger.” I explained.

“My home was destroyed and my friends now lie slain by Daedra that stormed the city overnight.” He replied tersely, narrowing his eyes. “I am fully aware that I am in danger.”

I had to bite back a wince. “I’m ‘fully aware’ of that, too. I wouldn’t throw myself into a city overrun by Daedra just to tell you something you already know.”

His hard expression softened ever so slightly and he gave a soft shake of his head. “No. No, I suppose you wouldn’t. Reckless as you are.”

That last bit could have gone unsaid, but now was hardly the time to be getting worked up over the simple things. “I need you to come to Weynon Priory with me, Martin. Right now, your safety is imper--impara---really important.”

“My safety? Am I hearing correctly or is that a blatant disregard for the safety of all the others who remain?”

“No!” I blustered, shaking my head and groaning aloud. “I’m not disregarding anything! If you’d just allow me to explain, I will!”

“Then please.” He said with an unconvinced look. “Explain.”

“Fine. I will.” I snapped as I got up off the bed and started pacing back and forth. “There’s a monk named Jauffre in Weynon Priory. I was sent to find him after the Emperor was slain. I was in prison, before you ask, and the Emperor was escaping through a passage that led through my cell. Before he was cut down, he told me to find Jauffre and I was also told to find his last son, who Jauffre knew about. And that last son is _you_. You’re the Emperor’s son, Martin. You’re the next in line to the throne. That’s why I came here, that’s why I found you, and that’s why you need to _come with me right now_.” I said it all in one breath, and I gasped loudly as I sucked in some much needed air afterwards. “Is that a good enough explanation for you?!” I wheezed.

The silence that came afterward combined with the blank stare he gave me wasn’t reassuring at all. I took a seat back down on the bed and bowed my head, running a hand through my hair.

“Trust me.” I pleaded. “I wouldn’t lie to you about something so important.”

Silence for a few more moments. Then he said, “I don’t believe that you would. But...what does this even mean? What do you want from me?”

“Come with me to Weynon Priory. That’s all I want from you. Jauffre can explain everything. He knows everything about you. Your birth, your bloodlines, everything. I was only told to pass on the message, nothing more.”

If it were possible for Martin to look even more weary than he did, he achieved it. Dropping his face into his hands, he sighs and rubs his mouth with his fingers. “And you risked your life just to pass this message on?”

“Yes---as ridiculous as that sounds.”

He laughs tiredly as he sits up straight. “It would be foolish of me to make your quest for naught, wouldn’t it?” I couldn’t tell whether he was joking or not, so I just nodded in response. “Very well. I will go with you and see what this Jauffre has to say. Lead on, my friend.”

Placing a hand over my heart, I sighed loudly in relief. This saved me the trouble of going through with my next plan. But if he came along willingly as opposed to being knocked unconscious and dragged back to the Priory, then I wasn’t one to complain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the wait on this one! I hope you enjoy! The next few chapters are going to speed things up a bit, I promise. : )


	7. Act VII: Misplaced

“-stop?"

 

“What?!”

 

My sudden outburst startled us both as I snapped out of a daydream, if it could be called that. It was more of a staring off into space not paying attention to what was occurring, and nearly forgetting where I was and what I was doing. Had I fallen asleep? Or was my stomach slowly taking over my mind with it’s emptiness? Whatever the case, it left me staring up at where Martin was riding on my horse while I walked next to him with the reign in hand.

 

“I said it’s getting late.” He repeated patiently. “Should we stop?”

 

The sun was slowly retreating down to the horizon, and the moon was growing more and more solid in the sky. I could feel the cool of evening beginning to settle gradually, and by the feel of it, it was going to be chilly tonight. I didn’t exactly have a cloak or anything to keep him or myself warm, either. Nor did I have a tent to shelter us, or even bedroll to sleep on. 

 

“Wouldn’t you rather keep going?” I asked, far too embarrassed to tell him I had insufficient supplies to shelter us both for the night. “We spend less time stopping, the sooner we’ll be there.”

 

He eyes me critically for a moment or two before looking down the road. “There should be an inn on this road if I recall correctly. We’ll stop there for the night and head out in the morning.” I’d opened my mouth to counter him, but he quickly looked back to me, his eyes hard and his voice firm. “If you go on any longer in your condition, I fear you may not even survive for the remainder of the trip. We must stop for your own well-being.”

 

“But---”

 

“And I’d rather not listen to your stomach growling all night.”

 

I try to counter, argue, and protest that we should move on, but the stubborn priest isn’t having any of it, blast him. With every protest I make, he seems to have twenty more counters of his own. And before we know it, we’re at the inn, and he’s hopping off the horse and leading it over to the small stable not too far aways from the entrance. Arguing would be inevitable at this point, seeing as he doesn’t intend to hop back on the horse anytime soon. All I can do at this point is narrow my eyes at him as he walks past me and holds the door to the inn open for me.

 

“Well?” He urges, sweeping a hand in front of him gently.

 

Sighing in defeat, I trudge to the inn and step inside. Almost immediately my nose is filled to the brim with smells of food. My stomach reacts accordingly, practically boring a hole through my belly to get at whatever was being made. I prayed my stomach wasn’t growling  too  loudly.

Martin chuckled and shook his head. “Aren’t you glad we stopped for the night?”

 

“I suppose.” I muttered absently, far too focused on the promise of food. Wounded pride would come later. As for now? I was going to  eat.

 

 

* * *

 

“Is this going to become a regular thing?” Martin sighed tiredly as he placed a hand over my stomach and conjured up a healing spell. I hadn’t exactly thought it through when I ordered plate after plate of food (courtesy of Martin’s coin) and ate far too much on a completely empty stomach. Which led to him having to lead me up the stairs and into a room, constantly having to beg me that I didn’t get sick on him.

 

I was half-tempted to tell him to try going several days without food and try restraining himself while eating for the first time in a while. But arguing was too much of a hassle at the moment. At this point, all I can do is apologize as he heals me. I was nothing but trouble to him since we’d left Kvatch, and I was doing him more harm than good; causing him to use up all his magicka for my sake.

 

Again, Martin sighs as he pulls his hand from my stomach. Something seems to catch his eye as he looks away, and I can feel his hand close around my wrist. A suspicious, yet concerned look passed over his face as he looked at the wrist irons still firmly clasped around my wrists. As he turns his gaze to meet mine, I turn my head to the side, not looking him in the eye. I didn’t want him pressing me for questions, or worse---trying to be all priestly and holier-than-thou once he found out what I am--- was.

 

I did turn my head back to him when I heard a loud clank of metal, and caught him trying to unclasp the irons from my wrist.

 

“OW!” I bellowed. I turned over and caught his wrist in my hand, trying to pry it off when I felt it pinch skin. He didn’t fight me when I yanked his hand away, nor did he try reaching for it again when I held it close to my chest, trying to ease the pain somewhat by rubbing the skin inches below the irons. “What was that for!?”

 

“I’m sorry.” He apologized. “You’d been tugging at them the entire time at dinner, so I’d thought---”

 

They  were uncomfortable and they ached something fierce. It was either go through with it now, or risk my flesh closing in over it or some other horrible thing. Sighing, I extend my hand towards him and drop it into his hand. “Don’t make it hurt.” I demand.

 

“I can’t promise that it won’t, but I’ll try my best.”

 

I take a deep breath as he tries to pry the metal again, and I screw my eyes shut and ball my fist, anticipating the pinching and the tugging.

 

“I didn’t catch your name.”

 

“What?” I asked as I pried an eye open to look at him.

 

“Your name. You haven’t told me.”

 

Strange time and place for this conversation, but if it was to take my mind off of the impending pain, then there was no harm in it, was there?

 

“Azure.”

 

“Azure.” The tone in his voice told me that he didn’t quite believe me. It a color, not a name.

 

“My parents gave it to me.” I lied, averting my gaze again. “Because of my eye color.” 

 

“I see.” For a moment, he was quiet, save for the grunting as he struggled to pry off the wrist iron.  

 

“I---er….Well, I didn’t exactly get a chance to ask, but how are you--- Ah! AH! Shi--- ” I was cut off as the iron came off with a clatter, and immediately went to cover my now bare wrist with a hand, only to be intercepted by his.

 

“Don’t touch it.” He warned, looking down at it in concern. “The skin’s gotten raw. This is going to need some more healing--”

 

“No. Forget the healing.” I interject, pulling my wrist away from him. “Save your magic, you’ve healed me enough.” 

 

“Azure---”

 

“I’m fine.” I snap at him, instead offering my other hand with the wrist iron. For a long moment, he doesn’t say anything before he sighs through his nose and takes it. 

 

“Refusing help won’t heal your wounds.” He muttered softly. I didn’t respond. I wasn’t in the mood to be lectured or talked down to. Several more minutes, and the iron comes off, and I have to resist the urge to rub it vigorously despite the fact that my skin was raw and burned. Martin’s eyes rested on my wrists before glancing up at me expectantly. No doubt waiting for me to ask him to heal the burns.

 

“I’ll be fine.” I mutter as I look him dead in the eye. If anyone should be looking out for anyone, it was himself. What were a few wounds compared to losing everything, friends, family, your entire home in a matter of days?  This fuss over me needed to stop. And I had to make that clear.

 

He sighs tiredly, weariness making his shoulders droop with an almost invisible weight. “As you wish, then. At least wash them with soap and hot water to get the dirt and rust out.” It sounds like more of a suggestion than an order to me. Which didn’t necessarily mean I had to follow it. The timely throb of the wounds on my wrists say otherwise, though. With a nod, I get up slowly from where I lay on the bed.

 

“Try to get some sleep.” I tell him as I stood in front of the door. “We’ll leave around dawn.”

 

“Where are you going?” He asked curiously.

 

“Outside. I won’t be far.” I shut the door behind me and head outside. The air carried a chill in it, one that forced me to clamp my arms over my chest and rub my shoulders vigorously. At that moment, I was grateful that Martin had pressed for staying at an inn. I didn’t want to imagine what would happen if we were laying in the grass somewhere, huddled around a small fire and far too cold to sleep.

 

Of course. Someone else making the calls yielded better results than ones I made on my own.

 

Again.

 

I sigh in disgust as I round the corner and head out to the stables to check on the horse. A brief glance away makes something catch  my eye. When I turn my head, I’m greeted with the White-Gold Tower poking through the trees, rising proudly over the horizon, its stark white stones contrasting against the night sky.

 

I frowned. No matter where I went, I’d be reminded that it was in that same place that my life came crashing down.

 

I turned my head and spit in the Tower’s direction before trudging inside, my hands deep in my pockets. It didn’t matter now, nor would it ever to anyone but myself. Which would definitely make things a lot more difficult once this little errand is done. I’d have to figure out where to go from here, what to do next, where to live, and the like.

 

All I had to do was drop the Emperor off at Weynon Priory, and I’d be scot-free.

 

If the Gods really do exist, then that better be the case.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took longer than I'd expected, what with school and other real life stuff popping up. I just want to say thank you to all of you for being so patient with me as I chug along in this story. I am very grateful for you!

**Author's Note:**

> Not much to say here, just that I hope you enjoy this story. :)


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